Letters: Obama, redistricting

Updated 7:54 pm, Friday, November 25, 2011

One important point

Regarding "Will Hispanics shout 'Obamanos!'? Or 'No mas Obama!'? (Page B9, Sunday), Jacob Monty's piece outlines both the failure of the Obama administration to pass any immigration reform and its significant increase in enforcement, all from the point of view of a good Hispanic Republican who is truly concerned about these issues.

However, in considering whether Hispanic voters will blame President Obama, it leaves out the fact that the Obama administration failed to pass any immigration reform due almost entirely to the uniform opposition of the Republican Party.

Unfortunately, there are no Republican leaders today willing to speak out for real immigration reform as President George W. Bush and Sen. John McCain once did. Both recognized that to a significant degree, one of the leading contributors to the large-scale undocumented immigration is no meaningful legal avenues for workers to enter the country.

Clearly, the Obama administration and the vast majority of Democrats are willing to enact balanced immigration reform if there were any significant number of Republicans willing to support same.

To date, that has not been the case, and unfortunately, judging by the tone of the Republican debates to date, there is only support for even more border enforcement in spite of the fact that undocumented illegal entries are at a record low, and we are spending more money on enforcement and deporting more individuals than at any time in history.

Regarding "Court gives Texas a new chance" (Page B11, Tuesday), Jim Dunnam celebrates political victory via judicial decree that has redrawn voting districts highly favoring his vision of fairness. He chastises Republicans, accusing them not only of restricting the will of the people but discriminating against Mexican-Americans.

Gerrymandering is used to slice, twist and split neighborhoods, eventually producing what its political supporters intend. And regardless how twisted the map becomes, social and political justice has been served.

What started as a noble legal rectification to right the wrongs done to African-Americans as slaves and as free men under Jim Crow is now the political vehicle available to Hispanics. And today many no longer see themselves as assimilating Americans, rather as an oppressed group teaming with others to carve up what can be politically wrested.

Now other minority citizens are encouraged to keep their identity separated for political purpose. The informal process of assimilation that built our American system has been virtually halted and exchanged for an experiment in social management. Championed by our intellectual elite and most of our educators is the belief that diversity is the complementary companion.

If this nation is not careful, we too can recreate our own Beirut with all its intricacies and political realities that separate and complicate Lebanese existence. Dunnam claims the moral/political high ground, relegating those not agreeing to a social and political purgatory.